Stephen Crane was one of the United States foremost naturalists in the late 1800’s ("Stephen" n.p.). He depicted the human mind in a way that few others have been capable of doing while examining his own beliefs. Crane was so dedicated to his beliefs that one should write about only what they personally experience that he lived in a self-imposed poverty for part of his life to spur on his writings (Colvert, 12:108). Crane’s contribution to American Literature is larger than any one of his books or poems. All parts of Crane’s life greatly influenced, or were influenced by his writings, whether it was his early life, formal education, writing career, or later years ("Stephen" n